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Calgary AB  T2H 2H9
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PHIDGETS Inc.

Unit 1 - 6115 4 St SE
Calgary AB  T2H 2H9
Canada
+1 403 282-7335

PhidgetTemperatureSensor 4-Input

ID: 1048_2B

Read up to four thermocouples via USB with this board to measure the temperature of four different objects.

$100.00

Quantity Available: 1000+

Qty Price
5 $95.00
10 $90.00
25 $80.00
50 $70.00
100 $65.00
250 $60.00
500 $55.00
1000 $50.00
50+...

Warning
Due to parts and components going obsolete and becoming unavailable, the 1048_2B has moved to a new processor that is not supported under Phidget21. If you're using our old libraries you must upgrade to Phidget22 before you can make use of this Phidget.

The 1048 allows you to measure extreme temperatures with up to 4 thermocouples. It is great for measuring temperatures in enclosed spaces or in liquids. This Phidget connects to your computer via USB.

Features

  • Connects J, K, E or T type thermocouples, reporting data in degrees Celsius
  • Use VoltageInput mode to measure voltage and manually convert values for other thermocouple types
  • Alerts you when a break is detected in the wire or when the thermocouple is disconnected during runt
  • Get temperature data at speeds of up to 30 Hz

Guides

Thermocouples

You can connect up to four J,K,E or T type thermocouples to this Phidget. See the product page or data sheet for the thermocouple to determine which end plugs into the positive terminal on the Phidget. If you're not sure which end is which, it won't harm anything to try both configurations to determine which one is right. If the thermocouple is hooked up backward, you'll get erratic readings and the temperature will decrease when it should be increasing.

Product Temperature Sensor
Part Number Price Thermocouple Type Ambient Temperature Min Ambient Temperature Max Ambient Temperature Error Max
TMP4103_0
K-Type Teflon Bead Probe Thermocouple (-40°C to +200°C)
$5.00 K -40 °C 200 °C ± 0.75 °C
TMP4104_0
K-Type Fiberglass Bead Probe Thermocouple
$10.00 K -40 °C 400 °C ± 0.75 °C
TMP4106_0
K-Type Probe Thermocouple 11cm
$16.00 K -40 °C 400 °C 3.3 °C
TMP4107_0
K-Type Probe Thermocouple 20cm
$16.00 K -40 °C 400 °C 3.3 °C
TMP4111_0
K-Type Probe Thermocouple 30cm
$20.00 K -40 °C 400 °C 3.3 °C

Thermocouple Accessories

Here are some handy accessories for working with thermocouples. Extension wire, adapters, and plugs can be found here.

USB Cables

Use a USB cable to connect this Phidget to your computer. We have a number of different lengths available, although the maximum length of a USB cable is 5 meters due to limitations in the timing protocol. For longer distances, we recommend that you use a Single Board Computer to control the Phidget remotely.

Product Physical Properties
Part Number Price Connector A Connector B Cable Length
3017_1
Mini-USB Cable 28cm 24AWG
$3.00 USB Type A USB Mini-B 280 mm
3018_0
Mini-USB Cable 180cm 24AWG
$4.00 USB Type A USB Mini-B 1.8 m
3020_0
Mini-USB Cable 450cm 20AWG
$12.00 USB Type A USB Mini-B 4.5 m
3036_0
Mini-USB Cable 60cm 24AWG
$3.50 USB Type A USB Mini-B 600 mm
3037_0
Mini-USB Cable 120cm 24AWG
$4.00 USB Type A USB Mini-B 1.2 m
CBL4011_0
Mini-USB Cable 28cm Right Angle
$3.50 USB Type A USB Mini-B (90 degree) 280 mm
CBL4012_0
Mini-USB Cable 83cm Right Angle
$4.50 USB Type A USB Mini-B (90 degree) 830 mm
CBL4020_0
USB-C to Mini USB Cable 60cm
$5.00 USB Type C USB Mini-B 600 mm
CBL4021_0
USB-C to Mini USB Cable 180cm
$6.00 USB Type C USB Mini-B 1.8 m



Part 1: Setup

PhidgetTemperatureSensor - Select OS

PhidgetTemperatureSensor

Welcome to the 1048 user guide! In order to get started, make sure you have the following hardware on hand:

  • a 1048 Phidget Temperature Sensor
  • a USB cable and computer
  • a thermocouple

Select your Operating System:

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PhidgetTemperatureSensor - Windows

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

Step 2: Connect Devices

Step 3: Verify Connection

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

Before you begin using your Phidgets, you will need to install the Phidget Library.

1. Download the installer for your system:

● 32-bit Installer Download

● 64-bit Installer Download

If you're unsure which one you should get, press ⊞ WIN + Pause/Break:

Before installing our libraries, be sure to read our Software License.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

2. Open the download. If it asks you for permission, select Run

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3a. Select Next

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3b. Read the Licence Agreement. Select Next.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3c. Choose Installation Location. Select Next.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3d. Confirm Install

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3e. Wait for Installation to complete. This should only take a few moments.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3f. Installation Complete. Close installation Window.

Step 2: Connect Devices

● Connect USB Cable to your computer and PhidgetTemperatureSensor

● Connect the thermocouple(s) to the PhidgetTemperatureSensor

Step 3: Verify Connection

1. Open the Phidgets Control Panel:

If your Control Panel does not open, look in your taskbar. Double click the Phidget Icon.

Step 3: Verify Connection

2. If connected, your Phidgets will appear in the Phidget Control Panel.

Done!

If you're able to see and interact with your devices in the Phidget Control Panel, you're done with the Setup part of this guide.

Scroll down to Part 2: Using Your Phidget for the next step.


For more help installing in Windows (e.g. manual install, using a VM, etc.), visit this page:

Windows Advanced Information

«
»

PhidgetTemperatureSensor - MacOS

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

Step 2: Connect Devices

Step 3: Verify Connection

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

Before you begin using your Phidgets, you will need to install the Phidget Library.

1. Download the installer for your system:

● OS X 10.11+: Installer Download

● Mac OS X 10.7 - OS X 10.10: Installer Download

● Mac OS X 10.5 - OS X 10.6: Installer Download


Before installing our libraries, be sure to read our Software License.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

2. Open the download and double click on Phidgets.pkg

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3a. Select Continue

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3b. Read and continue. Read the License and click Agree.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3c. Here, you have the option to select the installation location. Select Install to continue.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3d. MacOS may ask for permission to install. Enter your username and password and Install Software.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3e. Wait for Installation to complete. This should only take a few moments.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3f. You may see a message that the extension has been blocked. Select Open Security Preferences.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3g. Beside the message for Phidgets Inc, Click Allow.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3h. Installation Complete, Click Close.

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3i. To delete the installer, click Move to Trash.

Step 2: Connect Devices

● Connect USB Cable to your computer and PhidgetTemperatureSensor

● Connect the thermocouple(s) to the PhidgetTemperatureSensor

Step 3: Verify Connection

1. Open the Phidgets Control Panel:

Step 3: Verify Connection

2. If connected, your Phidgets will appear in the Phidget Control Panel.

Done!

If you're able to see and interact with your devices in the Phidget Control Panel, you're done with the Setup part of this guide.

Scroll down to Part 2: Using Your Phidget for the next step.


For more info installing in MacOS (e.g. developer tools, driver extension, etc.), visit this page:

MacOS Advanced Information

«
»

PhidgetTemperatureSensor - Linux

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

Step 2: Connect Devices

Step 3: Verify Connection

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

1. First, you need to install the libusb-1.0 development libraries. For example, in Debian based distributions:

apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev


You’ll also need a C compiler and builder, if you don’t already have one installed.

apt-get install gcc
apt-get install make

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

2. Next, download and unpack the Phidgets library:

libphidget22

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

3. Use the following commands in the location you unpacked to install the library:

./configure
make
sudo make install

Step 1: Install Phidgets Library

4. (Optional) You can also download and unpack the following optional packages:

phidget22networkserver - Phidget Network Server, which enables the use of Phidgets over your network

phidget22admin - Admin tool to track who is connected to your Phidgets when using the network server

libphidget22extra - Required for phidget22networkserver and phidget22admin

libphidget22java - The Java libraries for Phidget22


For installation instructions for these packages, see the README file included with each one.

Step 2: Connect Devices

● Connect USB Cable to your computer and PhidgetTemperatureSensor

● Connect the thermocouple(s) to the PhidgetTemperatureSensor

Step 3: Verify Connection

1. The easiest way to verify that your libraries are working properly is to compile and run an example program. Download and unpack this C example that will detect any Phidget:

HelloWorld C Example

Step 3: Verify Connection

2. Next, open the terminal in the location where you unpacked the example. Compile and run using:

gcc HelloWorld.c -o HelloWorld -lphidget22
sudo ./HelloWorld

ou should receive a “Hello” line for each Phidget channel that is discovered:

I don’t see any Phidgets show up in the HelloWorld example

You need to run it with sudo in order to be able to access USB devices. In order to use Phidgets without sudo, you need to set your udev rules. See the Advanced Information page on the final slide of this guide for details.

Done!

If you're able to see your devices in the Hello World example, you're done with the Setup part of this guide.

Scroll down to Part 2: Using Your Phidget for the next step.


For more info installing in Linux (e.g. Udev rules, old versions, etc.), visit this page:

Linux Advanced Information

«
»

Part 2: Using Your Phidget

About

The PhidgetTemperatureSensor with attached thermocouples allows you to measure extreme temperatures. This Phidget connects to a J, K, E, or T type thermocouple. Choose the thermocouple type in software and data will be converted to degrees Celsius automatically. If you have other thermocouple types, you can open the channel in VoltageInput mode and convert it to Celsius manually.

Explore Your Phidget Channels Using The Control Panel

You can use your Control Panel to explore your Phidget's channels.

1. Open your Control Panel, and you will find the following channels:

1048 Panel.jpg

2. Double click on a channel to open an example program. Each channel belongs to a different channel class:

Expand All
Temperature Sensor (IC): Measures the ambient temperature

In your Control Panel, double click on "Temperature Sensor (IC)":

1048-TemperatureSensorIC.jpg
Thermocouple Input: Reports the probe temperature

In your Control Panel, double click on "Thermocouple Input":

1048-TemperatureSensorTC.jpg
Voltage Input: Measures the raw probe voltage

In your Control Panel, double click on "Voltage Input":

1048-VoltageInput.jpg

Part 3: Create your Program

1. Setting up your Programming Environment

2. Phidget Programming Basics

Part 4: Advanced Topics and Troubleshooting

Expand All
How do I know what channel, serial number, or hub port to use in my program?

Before you open a Phidget channel in your program, you can set these properties to specify which channel to open. You can find this information through the Control Panel.

1. Open the Control Panel and double-click on the red map pin icon:

The locate Phidget button is found in the device information box

2. The Addressing Information window will open. Here you will find all the information you need to address your Phidget in your program.

All the information you need to address your Phidget


See the Phidget22 API for your language to determine exact syntax for each property.

How can I plot or record sensor data?

Note: Graphing and logging is currently only supported in the Windows version of the Phidget Control Panel.

In the Phidget Control Panel, open the channel for your device and click on the Plot.jpg icon next to the data type that you want to plot. This will open up a new window:

Plot2.jpg

If you need more complex functionality such as logging multiple sensors to the same sheet or performing calculations on the data, you'll need to write your own program. Generally this will involve addressing the correct channel, opening it, and then creating an Event Handler and adding graphing/logging code to it.

The quickest way to get started is to download some sample code for your desired programming language and then search google for logging or plotting in that language (e.g. "how to log to csv in python") and add the code to the existing change handler.

Filtering

You can perform filtering on the raw data in order to reduce noise in your graph. For more information, see the Control Panel Graphing page.

Graph Type

You can perform a transform on the incoming data to get different graph types that may provide insights into your sensor data. For more information on how to use these graph types, see the Control Panel Graphing page.

Setting the Change Trigger and Data Interval

The Change Trigger is the minimum change in the sensor data needed to trigger a new data event.

The Data Interval is the time (in ms) between data events sent out from your Phidget.

The Data Rate is the reciprocal of Data Interval (measured in Hz), and setting it will set the reciprocal value for Data Interval and vice-versa.

You can modify one or both of these values to achieve different data outputs. You can learn more about these properties here.

Upgrading or Downgrading Device Firmware

Firmware Upgrade

MacOS users can upgrade device firmware by double-clicking the device row in the Phidget Control Panel.

Linux users can upgrade via the phidget22admin tool (see included readme for instructions).

Windows users can upgrade the firmware for this device using the Phidget Control Panel as shown below.

ControlpanelFWup.jpg

Firmware Downgrade

Firmware upgrades include important bug fixes and performance improvements, but there are some situations where you may want to revert to an old version of the firmware (for instance, when an application you're using is compiled using an older version of phidget22 that doesn't recognize the new firmware).

MacOS and Linux users can downgrade using the phidget22admin tool in the terminal (see included readme for instructions).

Windows users can downgrade directly from the Phidget Control Panel if they have driver version 1.9.20220112 or newer:

ControlpanelFWdown.jpg

Firmware Version Numbering Schema

Phidgets device firmware is represented by a 3-digit number. For firmware patch notes, see the device history section on the Specifications tab on your device's product page.

FWversion.jpg

  • If the digit in the 'ones' spot changes, it means there have been bug fixes or optimizations. Sometimes these changes can drastically improve the performance of the device, so you should still upgrade whenever possible. These upgrades are backwards compatible, meaning you can still use this Phidget on a computer that has Phidget22 drivers from before this firmware upgrade was released.
  • If the digit in the 'tens' spot changes, it means some features were added (e.g. new API commands or events). These upgrades are also backwards compatible, in the sense that computers running old Phidget22 drivers will still be able to use the device, but they will not be able to use any of the new features this version added.
  • If the digit in the 'hundreds' spot changes, it means a major change has occurred (e.g. a complete rewrite of the firmware or moving to a new architecture). These changes are not backwards compatible, so if you try to use the upgraded board on a computer with old Phidget22 drivers, it will show up as unsupported in the Control Panel and any applications build using the old libraries won't recognize it either. Sometimes, when a Phidget has a new hardware revision (e.g. 1018_2 -> 1018_3), the firmware version's hundreds digit will change because entirely new firmware was needed (usually because a change in the processor). In this case, older hardware revisions won't be able to be upgraded to the higher version number and instead continue to get bug fixes within the same major revision.
Cold Junction Compensation and Self-heating

Thermocouples consist of two junctions, one where the thermocouple meets the Phidget and one where the two wires are welded together at the sensing end of the device. In simplified terms, a thermocouple works by detecting the temperature difference between these two junctions. To measure the temperature at the sensing end we need to know the temperature where the thermocouple connects to the Phidget. There is an ambient temperature sensor on the board. The thermocouple reading is automatically calculated using the data from the on board temperature sensor.

An important thing to note is that the ambient temperature sensor measures the temperature of the board and the air around it, though not specifically at the junction. Generally you can assume the two locations are nearly the same temperature, however as the electronics heat up by being powered on, there can be some small error introduced. This is exacerbated by having the board in an enclosed space where normal airflow is restricted thereby increasing the effect of self-heating. As a result we recommend that the board be left in as open and well ventilated/cooled a place as possible to minimize this error source.

For more information on thermocouples, check out the Thermocouple Guide.

Product Specifications

Board Properties
API Object Name TemperatureSensor
Controlled By USB (Mini-USB)
Number of Thermocouple Inputs 4
Thermocouple Input
Temperature Update Rate 32 ms/sample
Ambient Temperature Error Max ± 0.5 °C
Thermocouple Error Max (K-Type) ± 2 °C
Thermocouple Voltage Resolution 100 nV DC
Thermocouple Temperature Resolution (K-Type) 0.003 °C
Electrical Properties
Current Consumption Max 25 mA
Input Voltage Max 77 mV DC
USB Voltage Min 4.5 V DC
USB Voltage Max 5.3 V DC
USB Speed Full Speed
Physical Properties
Recommended Wire Size 16 - 26 AWG
Operating Temperature Min -40 °C
Operating Temperature Max 85 °C
Customs Information
Canadian HS Export Code 8471.80.00
American HTS Import Code 8471.80.40.00
Country of Origin CN (China)

Documents

Product History

Date Board Revision Device Version Packaging Revision Comment
April 2010 0100Product Release
May 2010 0101fixed setlabel
May 2011 0102getLabelString fixed for labels longer than 7 characters
October 2017 0102BAdded plastic shell enclosure, removed USB cable
June 2021 1200BUpdated obsolete components on board; no longer supports Phidget21
January 2022 1204BImproved stability and minor optimizations
November 20212210BChanged processor chip
January 2022 2212BImproved stability and minor optimizations
February 20232214BFixed issue with high saturation error reading
May 2023 2215BUSB bug fixes

Software Objects

Channel NameAPIChannel
Thermocouple Input TemperatureSensor 0 - 3
Temperature Sensor (IC) TemperatureSensor 4
Voltage Input VoltageInput 0 - 3

API


Back Forward
Print this API

Code Samples



Example Options


Downloads

				Make your selections to display sample code.
					

Code Samples

Language:

APIDetailLanguageOS
TemperatureSensor Visual Studio GUI C# Windows Download
TemperatureSensor JavaScript Browser Download
TemperatureSensor Objective-C macOS Download
TemperatureSensor Swift macOS Download
TemperatureSensor Swift iOS Download
TemperatureSensor Visual Basic .NET Windows Download
TemperatureSensor Max/MSP Multiple Download
VoltageInput Visual Studio GUI C# Windows Download
VoltageInput Multi-Channel Example JavaScript Browser Download
VoltageInput JavaScript Browser Download
VoltageInput Objective-C macOS Download
VoltageInput Swift macOS Download
VoltageInput Swift iOS Download
VoltageInput Visual Basic .NET Windows Download
VoltageInput Max/MSP Multiple Download

Have a look at our thermocouple interfaces:

Product Board Properties Thermocouple Input
Part Number Price Controlled By Number of Thermocouple Inputs Thermocouple Voltage Resolution
1048_2B
PhidgetTemperatureSensor 4-Input
$100.00 USB (Mini-USB) 4 100 nV DC
TMP1100_0
Isolated Thermocouple Phidget
$30.00 VINT 1 1 μV DC
TMP1101_1
4x Thermocouple Phidget
$35.00 VINT 4 1 μV DC